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‘Old man bandit’ accused of robbing banks for 45 years

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Police in Maryland arrested a man known as the “old man bandit,” on charges connected to multiple bank robberies.

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The Montgomery County Police Department announced the arrest in a news release, saying Steven Gregory Gass, dubbed the “old man bandit,” is accused of robbing a Wells Fargo Bank in Gaithersburg on July 14 and a Truist Bank in Bethesda on June 18.

In the news release, police said Gass was released from prison in 2019, after pleading guilty in 2010 to robbing 19 banks in Florida from 2008-09. In 2019, he was granted a compassionate release from prison for medical reasons and returned to Maryland, where police said he had been living with his elderly parents.

Gass’ criminal history dates back even further, with his first bank robbery arrest in Montgomery County in 1977, WJLA reported.

Montgomery County police said in the news release that Gass was arrested after attempting to rob the Wells Fargo Bank on July 14.

Police told WRC that Gass entered the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding money, but that the teller walked away, and another employee hit a silent alarm. When police arrived, they were able to follow Gass and take him into custody.

Investigators told WJLA that detectives connected Gass to the June 18 robbery, as well as a robbery in Baltimore County. Officers who served a search warrant on Gass’ parents home said they found additional evidence.